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State, county, city officials to break ground on new transitional housing for veterans in Glendale

Debbie Lesko
Debbie Lesko in 2019.

On Saturday, state, county and city officials will break ground on a 50-unit transitional housing project in Glendale. Last year, the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors approved $3 million in funding to build that housing for homeless veterans and their families.

Supervisor Debbie Lesko described them as tiny homes that will come with wrap-around services.

“Whether [the veterans] need substance abuse counseling, whether they need counseling for PTSD or whatever their issues are so we can get them out of this transitional housing and into permanent housing,” Lesko said.

A point-in-time homelessness count in 2023 found there were nearly 10,000 homeless Glendale residents, and approximately 500 of them were veterans.

The new transitional housing units are expected to be completed sometime in 2026.

“It’s just very sad when men and women who have put themselves forward to risk their lives for our country are out on the streets,” Lesko said. ”The people that are in the military are here to protect us and so therefore, we need to protect them.”

Senior field correspondent Bridget Dowd has a bachelor’s degree from Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication.